Further killings of candidates in the vast but sparsely populated region could conceivably force postponement of the elections throughout the province. Despite making up about half of Pakistan's nearly 800,000 square kilometers of territory, Balochistan has just 14 seats in the popularly elected lower house, or National Assembly, of the parliament.

That makes elections in the province extremely vulnerable to disruption through violence.

Islamabad is deploying additional troops to thwart possible disturbances. On April 29, authorities sent additional army units to nine districts of the province considered high-risk due to a history of separatist violence.